“Beauty” in the Madness (What is NYC?) —Carter Hansen ’22 Manhattan will greet you with its distinctive charm. The city that never sleeps, Opportunity on top of opportunity, the land of dreams – No. I recently ventured to the coveted metropolis, and as many do, I expected these headlines to ring true. Yet, this was merely a cover-up of real city life. I came to realize NYC is not only a toxic environment that pays the lower class no attention, it is an empire of those hungry to reach the summit, with no regard toward the less fortunate. The homeless depend on the cold streets and subway systems for comfort, emotion poured into percussion made from broken buckets and pans for the smallest amount of money in return, street vendors willing to grab you by the arm in order to share their voice, praying to be heard, illicit activity. Barren trees decorated with trash bags, vandalized art, as if what was underneath wasn’t good enough, competing sources of smoke, leaving you unable to discern their source, surrounding blank stares that make you worry they are scrutinizing you, or are they just mentally chained down and unable to scrutinize anything. People think it can miraculously solve all problems or get rid of all worries, when in reality, the contradiction punches you in the face. Don’t worry, though, it’s okay. Citizens of New York City will remain in this grim state, woken up by the shrill siren of everyday life, having to repeat living in the shadows, begging to get out. There is beauty in the madness, depends how you see it, though. Depends if you are there by choice, or stuck in the scheme. So, what is NYC? It’s not what you think. Issue 37 | 15
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